The Coconut

Last week Jeong Min called me and asked if I had a hammer she could borrow. She came down and got it and explained to me she was trying to open a coconut. She then went back to her room only to return a few minutes later with the hammer... and coconut. She told me that she couldn't get into it and didn't want to be banging on it upstairs because of the people below her. So she set everything on the floor and began pounding away. This went on for a minute or two and I decided to have a whack at it. I flipped the hammer over to use the part you pull a nail out with. I took one BIG hit and one of the prongs flew off (luckily it didn't hit any of us!) I didn't think I should try again so I returned the hammer. By this time my roommate, Brittany, was curious and decided to get in on the adventure as well. Brittany spent last year on an island and should know how to do this type of a thing. She tried for a while and then Jeong Min took another turn while Brittany called one of her students to see if he had an idea. Meanwhile, I was signed online and had been talking to Paul before all this happened. I was giving him the details about the hammer breaking and how stubborn this stupid coconut was being. I asked him if he had any ideas to which said use a saw... we ignored that advise and kept on hammering.

A while later a hole emerged and then a crack. At that point Jeong Min tried to break it apart but to no avail. So the hammering continued. The hole got bigger and bigger until it finally opened. Jeong Min took 1/2 with her and told me and Brittany to take the rest and to share with Paul. So Paul came over a while later and got some coconut too. I showed him my hammer and we all had a good laugh out of it.